[pageLogInLogOut]

#Recycling / Circular Economy

Waste, plants, CO2 – the resources of the future

How to get to a Circular Economy was the subject at Raw Materials Summit 2019 in Berlin with representatives from business, politics, media and science. From left: Dr. Frank-Andreas Hatzack, Copenhague Institute for Futures Studies; Philipp Engelkamp, Managing Director Ineratec GmbH; Dr. Adriana Neligan, Senior Economist, German Economic Institute; Professor Kurt Wagemann, Managing Director Dechema; Rita Schwarzelühr-Sutter, State Secretary at the German Federal Ministry for the Environment; Dr. Jürgen Stebani, CEO Polymaterials AG; Judith Skudelny, National parliamentary group FDP; Dr. Klaus Schäfer, Member of the Board of Management Covestro AG; Professor Christian Thomsen, President Technical University of Berlin (c) 2019 Covestro
With sustainable raw materials from waste, plants and CO2, the chemical industry can support the transition to a circular economy. At the Raw Materials Summit 2019, which took place on Monday at the Technical University of Berlin, Germany representatives from business, politics and science called for the increased use of such sources instead of crude oil. Accordingly, non-fossil resources help to close the carbon loop and can contribute to climate protection. At the summit the “Resource Innovator” start-up prize was awarded to the young company Ineratec from Southern Germany.
  • Raw Materials Summit 2019 points way out of the throwaway society  
  • Start-up company wins “Resource Innovator” prize

“The chemical industry is actively pushing ahead with the transformation to a circular economy,” said Dr. Klaus Schäfer, Member of the Board of Management for Production and Technology at Covestro. The materials manufacturer organized the summit again joinly with the Technical University of Berlin and the Dechema Society for Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology.

Waste as a valuable resource

According to Schäfer, it is particularly important to see plastic waste as a resource: “After their use, products must no longer end up uncontrolled in the environment, but must be recycled in an ecologically efficient manner, for example through chemical recycling”, stated Schäfer with a view to politics.

The German government was represented by Rita Schwarzelühr-Sutter, State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU), who delivered the opening speach. The BMU as well as the Federal Ministry of Education and Research acted as patrons of the event.


Professor Christian Thomsen, President of the Technical University of Berlin, stressed that the academic sector could provide important impetus for research and development into new recycling processes and alternative raw materials. Thomsen: “The interaction of application-oriented basic research and science-based industry is the key to success”.

Promoting a start-up culture

Professor Kurt Wagemann, Managing Director of Dechema, emphasized the importance of a vibrant start-up scene for the realization of new ideas for sustainable production processes and products: “The start-up culture in Germany needs to be more pronounced so that Germany can keep up with international competition”.

Wagemann also selected the “Resource Innovator 2919”. This year's prize at the Raw Materials Summit went to Karlsruhe-based Ineratec GmbH, which was founded in 2016. The company has succeeded in downsizing large chemical plants to miniature size. With these decentralized reactors, high-quality raw materials for the chemical industry can be produced from exhaust gases such as CO2.


More News from Covestro AG

#Smart Textiles

Covestro, FILK Freiberg, and OUT e.V. develop flexible, conductive polymer smart textile system

As the smart textiles market continues to grow across healthcare, personal protection, sportswear, and automotive applications, developers are seeking new ways to integrate electronic functionality directly into textiles, without the rigidity and complexity of conventional wiring. To address this challenge, FILK Freiberg Institute, an independent research institution with expertise in polymer coatings for textile applications, collaborated with Optotransmitter-Umweltschutz-Technologie (OUT) e.V. The joint project, funded under the German Industrielle Gemeinschaftsforschung (IGF) program of the Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie (BMWE), focused on developing flexible, conductive polymer surfaces for next-generation smart textiles.

#Techtextil 2026

Covestro to exhibit solutions for a more sustainable and productive textile industry at Techtextil 2026

Covestro will present a broad portfolio of material innovations for textile coatings, adhesive films and thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPUs) at Techtextil 2026 (Hall 11.0, Booth C79). The exhibits will demonstrate how advanced solutions can enhance durability, recyclability and manufacturing efficiency across applications such as automotive, infrastructure, protective apparel and sportswear. A particular focus will be on more sustainable coating technologies, including antimicrobial systems based on INSQIN® in combination with AGXX from Heraeus Precious Metals, as well as the integration of Pontacol® thermoplastic adhesive films into Covestro’s offering.

#Technical Textiles

Covestro showcases monomaterial concept in autonomous SUE People Mover

UE | STUDIOS has unveiled the fully autonomous electric minibus “Self-driving Urban E-Shuttle” (SUE), placing strong emphasis on sustainable material design. Developed within a project funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE) and the European Union, the vehicle will begin public road testing this year. At the core of the concept is the consistent use of recyclable monomaterials to improve circularity at end of life.

#Textile chemistry

Covestro and Heraeus Precious Metals collaborate to enable safer, more sustainable antimicrobial textile coatings

Laboratory tests reveal that AGXX antimicrobial surface technology from Heraeus Precious Metals is fully compatible with Impranil® PU dispersions which are part of the waterborne INSQIN® textile coating technology from Covestro, paving the way for more sustainable antimicrobial textile coatings. This discovery comes at a key moment for the textile coatings industry. As the sharing economy continues to grow, more people are coming into regular contact with high-use surfaces, creating ideal conditions for bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms to thrive.

More News on Recycling / Circular Economy

#Recycling / Circular Economy

Creating a circular economy for fashion and textiles in the UAE

As the United Arab Emirates (UAE) accelerates its shift towards a circular economy, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation is working to co-design and deliver a national textiles circularity policy framework as part of the country’s wider Naseej initiative, a Presidential-level programme to create a circular economy for fashion and textiles.

#Recycling / Circular Economy

Indorama Ventures strengthens Packaging business through strategic circular PET partnership

Indorama Ventures Public Company Limited, a global sustainable chemical company, today announced a strategic partnership through Indovida, Indorama Ventures’ packaging business segment, with Suntory Holdings Limited, Suntory PepsiCo Beverage (Thailand) Co., Ltd. and Iwatani Corporation, to bring commercial-scale circular PET packaging to Thailand. The collaboration further strengthens Indorama Ventures’ downstream packaging platform while expanding its leadership in circular packaging solutions.

#Recycling / Circular Economy

Managed workwear services are providing a blueprint for the circular textile economy

Managed workwear service providers are demonstrating how commercial success and circularity can go hand in hand by extending garment lifespans through repair, laundering, reuse and recycling, according to “Managed workwear services—a circular textile economy ahead of the game”, a new 14‑page report from the global business information company Textiles Intelligence.

#Recycling / Circular Economy

Eco-design as the foundation of circular textiles

Based on the results of an extensive European analysis, the Erasmus+ project Skills4Circularity is currently developing three practice-based training modules covering recycling technologies, eco-design for the circular economy and sustainable manufacturing. This was preceded by a comprehensive company survey and a joint analysis conducted by the project partners under the leadership of IVGT. The results show that the greatest challenges lie not so much in a lack of technology as in skills gaps.

Latest News

#Yarn & Fiber

Expansive innovations converge in Shanghai as Yarn Expo Autumn 2026 opens doors next week

With just days to go, industry enthusiasm is building for the opening of Yarn Expo Autumn, Asia’s premier yarn and fibre trade fair, running from 25 – 27 August at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai). Across 27,000 sqm in Hall 8.2, buyers will find nearly 600 exhibitors from 14 countries and regions, spread across seven specialised zones that range from cutting-edge man-made and regenerated fibres to time-honoured cashmere and silk. Beyond the extensive sourcing options, a fringe programme of trend showcases, presentations and product launches rounds out the three¬day event with design, innovation and market intelligence.

#Carpets

DOMOTEX Southeast Asia 2026 - Building the Gateway to ASEAN's fast-growing flooring market

From 11–13 November 2026, the inaugural DOMOTEX Southeast Asia will take place at BITEC (Bangkok International Trade & Exhibition Centre) in Bangkok, Thailand. Jointly organized by GLOBUS Events Limited and Hannover Milano Fairs Shanghai Ltd., with Worldex G.E.C. Co., Ltd. as the local partner, the exhibition marks the expansion of the internationally recognized DOMOTEX brand into Southeast Asia. As the newest addition to the global DOMOTEX portfolio, the exhibition has been developed specifically to serve the rapidly evolving ASEAN market, creating a dedicated business event for the flooring and interior finishing industry.

#Sustainability

Execs help steer Cascale’s consumer goods agenda in Athens

The 2026 Cascale Annual Meeting, taking place September 15–17 in Athens, Greece, will convene leaders from across the global consumer goods value chain to tackle one of the industry’s defining questions: how to accelerate meaningful, system-wide transformation. Guiding those conversations as this year’s co-chairs are Sean Cady, vice president, global sustainability, responsibility, trade, and government affairs at VF Corporation, and Dr. Delman Lee, vice chair at TAL Apparel Limited.

#Research & Development

MELANGE starts with a co-creative design workshop at Aalto University to shape the visual identity of this new project transforming colouration in textiles

Over the next three years, MELANGE will lower the environmental impact of interior textile production by moving colour design to the beginning of the manufacturing process. This Horizon Europe project officially started on 1 August 2026, and will be publicly launched on 27 August 2026.

TOP